Not only did the world learn that Elaine Stritch had passed away at 89, but reports surfaced that Malaysian Airlines flight MH17 had been shot down over Ukraine – and stars like Nicki Minaj, Coco Rocha and Bill Nye took to Twitter to join in the outpouring of condolences and prayers for families of the victims.

The flight was carrying 298 passengers and this tragedy comes just four months after Malaysian Airlines’ 227-passenger flight MH370 went missing.

Early reports state that approximately 100 of the passengers were leading HIV/AIDS scholars en route to a conference in Melbourne, Australia.

Among the 100 experts was Joep Lange, a professor of medicine at the University of Amsterdam who has been involved in HIV research since the virus first emerged in the 1980s.

One Canadian was also confirmed to have died on the flight. Prime Minister Stephen Harper said in a statement, "On behalf of the Government of Canada, Laureen and I offer our thoughts and prayers to the families and friends of the victims of this outrageous act

Few details about the crash have been disseminated, but celebrities have responded in waves, offering their condolences to the families who lost loved ones.

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